KOBAYAKAWA KIYOSHI

The Mistress Okichi of Shimoda

Date:1932 first edition, published by Hasegawa with limitation seal on versoSize:dai-oban, approx. 17.5" x 13"Condition:VG, with soiling as shownImpression:Fine, tight registration, solid key lines, and good surface textureColor:VG, somewhat soiled but not faded or toned, deep saturated color and bleed through to verso

ABOUT KOBAYAKAWA KIYOSHIKobayakawa Kiyoshi is best known his woodblock prints of Japanese women. Born in Hakata, a town in the Fukuoka Province of
Kyushu, Kiyoshi was one of many artists who studied with Kaburagi
Kiyokata, the famous painter and print designer. Kiyoshi entered
Kiyokata's school at age twenty and probably knew Kiyokata's other
students including Shinsui, Hasui and Kotondo.
Unfortunately, little is known about Kiyoshi's life compared to those
other print designers. During the 1920's and 1930's, he exhibited Nihonga
(Japanese-style) paintings at several exhibitions including the
Kyodokai and the Imperial Academy Exhibition. In 1923, he contributed a
print design to the series, "Complete Collection of Chikamatsu". This
was probably Kiyoshi's first experience designing woodblock prints. Beginning in 1930, Kiyoshi began designing a series of six bijin prints which he called "Modern Fashionable Styles" (Kindai jisei sho). These prints were carved by Tadano Shichinosuke and printed by Ono Tomisaburo. Kiyoshi designed thirteen prints in all, twelve of which were exhibited
at the 1936 Toledo Exhibition. In addition to his six self-published
prints, three were published by Hasegawa, three by Ensendo (Takamizawa)
and one by Watanabe Shozaburo. Kiyoshi was awarded the special rank of Tokusen for his 1933 print, The Geisha Ichimaru. He died in April 1948 at Ikegami, Tokyo.-- excerpted from Hanga.com

ABOUT THIS PRINTAccording to the legend, Okichi, who was born in Shimoda in 1841, was a
geisha of 17 years old when the US consulate, Townsend Harris, saw her
leaving a bathhouse. Negotiations between American and Japanese
officials were not going well at the time, and Japanese government
officials believed that if Okichi were made Harris' mistress, the
negotiations would go better. They began to pressure Okichi into
becoming Harris' mistress. One of the reasons that she resisted was that
she was in love with a man named Tsurumatsu, a ship's carpenter. The
officials offered to make Tsurumatsu a samurai if he would "step aside."
Finally, after much pressure, Okichi agreed, and negotiations were
concluded between American and Japanese officials. She lived with Harris
for a time, but after he left Japan, the people of Shimoda shunned her,
calling her "Tojin Okichi" (Barbarian Okichi). This caused her great
unhappiness, and she began drinking heavily. Later she lived in Kyoto
and Mishima for a time and finally returned to Shimoda. She ran a
restaurant called Anchokuro (see below) but it lost money due to poor
management. She committed suicide in 1892 at the age of 51 by drowning
herself near Shimoda. Later, a book was written about her, and a movie was
made from it. This is the legend. According to historians, however, much of the story
is not true. Okichi, along with another young woman, was a housekeeper
for Harris for a short time. The rest of the story developed was
developed by local gossips andhas been kept alive in museums and
temples in Shimoda.

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